Dubai: The uncle of the two-year-old Pakistani boy, who survived a horrific accident on Dubai-Al Ain Road on March 2, said that he would raise his nephew along with his own two children.
Mushataq Ahmad, 31, uncle of Mattar, 2, said the boy will be discharged from Rashid Hospital on Thursday (March 7).
Mushataq recounted his shock upon learning about the horrofic news that his brother Mohammad Fayaz, sister-in-law and sister, had all died in the accident that took place near Al Lisali bridge on the way to Al Ain.
The car that Fayaz, 29, was driving, stopped in the middle of the road, following which another vehicle rammed into it.
“The car in which all of them were travelling was completely destroyed. But Mattar survived the accident. He is too young to comprehend the tragedy or realise that his parents are gone. He thinks that I am his father and my wife is his mother. We will take care of him and raise him along with our two children,” Ahmad told Gulf News.
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An accountant, Ahmad has a three-year-old son, Hamdan, and daughter Shaikha who is one-and-a-half years old.
“My brother and I were born in the UAE. He may be no more now but his son is my son. I want to take care of him. I will get a visa for him, send him to school and make sure he has a decent life along with my children,” he said.
Earlier, Colonel Saeed Helal Al Khaeely, director of Al Faqa police station, said the accident occurred at 8:45pm when the Toyota car driven by Fayaz stopped in the middle of the highway due to a minor accident.
He [Mattar] is too young to comprehend the tragedy or realise that his parents are gone. He thinks that I am his father and my wife is his mother.
“The man didn’t move his car to the side of the road and a Nissan Patrol driver crashed into the vehicle from behind,” Col Al Khaeely said.
The Arab driver of the Nissan Patrol is said to have confessed that he wasn’t paying attention to the road when the accident happened. And despite his minor injuries, he had pulled Mattar out from the damaged car when he realised he was still alive.
Dubai traffic prosecution is carrying out an investigation into the accident.
In February, UAE Federal Traffic Council launched a three-month campaign, titled ‘Avoid Distraction While Driving’. The campaign aimed to enhance road safety by targeting motorists who use their mobile phones, eat, read, fix their headware, apply make-up or even smoke while driving.
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, head of the UAE Federal Traffic Council, said drivers who are distracted while driving don’t know that those few seconds can result in horrific accidents and kill innocent people.
“Usually, the driver needs a second or two to take a decision. In this fraction of time, the car passes 45 metres if the speed is 120kph,” said Maj Gen Al Zafein, adding that some drivers think they are too smart and can manage to browse the internet and check their social media accounts while driving, little realising how dangerous it can be.
Ahmad said the bodies of his brother, sister and sister-in-law were handed over to the family by the police, following which they were flown to Pakistan for burial on Wednesday.
59
Number of fatalities in 438 traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers recorded in the UAE in 2018.Distracted driving
59 people died and 495 others injured in 438 traffic accidents caused by motorists being distracted on the road in the UAE last year, according to official statistics by the Interior Ministry.
The UAE Traffic Departments recorded 323,102 offences by drivers due to distraction in the last three years.
